202 • Part III: YOGa FOr EDUCatING FOr SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt CHaPtEr 9: YOGa aS EMBODIED SELF-rEGULatION aND ENGaGEMENt • 203
Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). Notably, this is consistent with the legal requirements of the
First Amendment, which, as Childress and Harper (2015) remind us, maintain that there be
religious neutrality in public schools and their associated activities.
Third, a secular approach to yoga is not religious, spiritual, or comprised of practices, sym-
bols, or narratives from historical, religious traditions (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone
et al., 2016b). Specifically, the term secular means “not pertaining to or connected with religion”
(Jennings, 2015, p. 167). Published literature on the topic in both the fields of mindfulness and
yoga agree that it is important to draw a clear line between secular and religious practices (e.g.,
Childress & Harper, 2015; Greenburg & Mitra, 2015). Secular yoga has evolved from the tradi-
tional forms of yoga with roots in Indian philosophy and religion (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a;
Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). It is perfectly acceptable to acknowledge and study the roots of
yoga—it is a fascinating history. Yet, like the modern clock, a technology initially used to time
and regulate prayer, the methodology has been brought forward for modern, secular use. As
articulated in our paper, secular yoga utilizes the effective yoga methodologies (i.e., physical
postures, breathing techniques, relaxation, and meditation) and does not integrate the religious
or spiritual dogma of traditional yoga practice and philosophy (i.e., Hinduism, Jainism, and
Buddhism; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b; Masters, 2014).
There is a nuance here: spirituality. At the 2016 Yoga in the School Symposium at
Kripalu, my team led a deep and passionate discussion among all of the yogis, research-
ers, and school personnel in attendance (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b). On nearly every other
point, we were able to find consensus. However, the closest we could get to consensus
here is that we all agree that it is at exactly this point at which we were most conflicted.
Spirituality is defined in many ways. If you do an Internet search you will find all of these
things associated with spirituality: expression of the sacred, a search for transcendent mean-
ing, simply a search for meaning, an effort to be part of something bigger than ourselves,
and inspiration. Flynn (2013) in her book on yoga for children, emphasizes spirituality
(pp. 23–24). She explains that spirituality is not defined by religious practices (Flynn, 2013).
Rather, it is a student’s ability to find meaning and value in his or her own life and deeply
engage in purposeful relationships with others (Flynn, 2013). Cobb, McClintock, and Miller
(2016) write of the importance of mindfulness and spirituality in positive youth develop-
ment across a variety of critical domains. Spirituality may be protective and connected with
reduced risk for concerns such as substance use, mood disorder, and anxiety. Nevertheless,
given the broad and multifaceted understanding of the term, the room for misperception
and misunderstanding is seen as too great for the risk tolerance of many school personnel.
Many feel that the focus should remain on the core practices of yoga, which are currently
viewed as the key mechanisms of change (i.e., physical poses, breath work, relaxation, and
meditation).
Next, a secular approach to yoga does not integrate the cultural artifacts often associated
with traditional yoga (e.g., mandalas, chanting “om,” and Sanskrit terms; Cook-Cottone
et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b; Masters, 2014). Integration of yoga culture into any
form of yoga practice can give the impression that the practice is religious and/or spiritual
( Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a; Cook-Cottone et al., 2016b; Jennings, 2015). Note, however, that
there are several perspectives on this and some differences of opinion within the field of
school-based yoga. It is acknowledged that within the appropriate developmental and edu-
cational contexts, it is important to share histories as histories (Cook-Cottone et al., 2016a).
For example, Herrington (2012) makes a case for integrating Sanskrit, yoga history, and
artifacts into her classes as a way of honoring the heritage of the practices.